Writer – Page 96 – Natural adventures

6071. M32 Spot (185)

Zaenone and The Mole, M32 Spot, Bristol, May 2024

For most people, coming across a street/graffiti artist while they are actually painting is probably something of a rarity. Because I am out most days in all the most popular spots, it is quite unusual not to meet someone while they are painting, and on this day I happened upon Zaenone and The Mole as they were working on this collaboration.

I had not met Zaenone before, although we have exchanged a few words on social media before. He was fairly quiet when I met him, and I mostly spoke with The Mole. This is a classic piece from Zaenone, typically bookended with characters and the letters ZAEN sandwiched in the middle. The combination has a psychedelic buzz going on, with the hippy characters and the multicoloured fills, topped off with peace symbols.

The Mole has written INCA and included his familiar mole character on the right of the piece, beautifully filled I might add. I asked him where the inspiration for the word Inca came from, and it is completely as you might expect, he has an interest in the Incas. The Mole character was created and developed during the first lockdown (if I remember correctly). As ever it is always great to welcome these LRS lads back to Bristol for a paint.

6068. St Werburghs tunnel (427)

Mr Draws, St Werburghs, Bristol, May 2024

I would truly love to post all of Mr Draws’ pieces, but unfortunately, like so many others, I simply don’t have the bandwidth to do so, and many remain in my archive. I think that the only solution is to have ‘sweep up’ posts in which I trawl through unpublished pieces over the last few months and create a mini gallery in a single post. It is a tactic I have used for posting Klashwhensober’s pieces, because of his extraordinary productivity rate.

This is a nicely presented classic Mr Draws piece, written in his easy and familiar style. A chrome fill dominates, with yellow and lilac patterning. The red drop shadow is very neat and tidy as is the yellow border. The final additional touch is in the form of tly disrupting the form to add interest. Nice stuff from Mr Draws.

6066. Purdown (71)

The anti-aircraft gun emplacement at Purdown, is a bit of a hit and miss spot (no pun intended). Sometimes when I go up there, there have been no new additions, other times I seem to find a raft of new work. It is always a bit of a practical struggle for me, because I take the dog along (of course), and he gets very excited in this enclosed area because of the goats – I have to be swift taking pictures and move on, before he gets too frenzied.

I’m not sure how old this piece by 3GV is, but I don’t recall seeing it before this visit I made last month. 3GV has bookended his letters with a tribute to Vaughn Bode, with Lizard to the left and Cheech Wizard on the right. The irregular letters, with a cool colour palette, are set on a blue diamond shaped background. I feel that 3GV’s work is quite raw, but it is great to see the artist out there practising and improving.

6065. Cumberland Basin

Lee Roy, Cumberland Basin, Bristol, May 2024

Lee Roy is another artist who has gone a little quiet lately, and when I do find pieces by him, I am not sure whether they are old ones or new ones, because they tend to be in spots I don’t visit all that frequently, like this on the warehouse building on the north side of the river opposite the garden centre.

VLAD appears to be the letters/word that Lee Roy is enjoying at the moment, and he is continuing with his flowing anti-style approach. I would say that his work, which might look untidy to casual viewers, is actually highly regarded by his peers and photographers alike. It is a very ‘street’ style of graffiti writing. I would love to see him out more this summer, although I do occasionally see him out walking his dog.

6062. River Avon (62)

Returning to what I would call ‘everyday’ Bristol street/graffiti art after an Upfest interlude (more of those to come), I present another wonderfully busy piece by Grimes. This is a graffiti artist who burst onto the scene a few months ago, and has settled in immediately, producing some realy good pieces along thee way.

This one on the cycle path alongside the River Avon has something of a carnal feel about it. There is no doubt that his pieces are full of movement and vibrancy. If you look carefully, you can make out the letters GRIMES, but it is the outstanding fills and clean borders that lifts this piece above the ordinary into the next level. I am very much enjoying the emergence of this graffiti writer in Bristol.

6061. Upfest 2024 (10)

Ments, Hen and Chicken, Greville Road, Upfest 24, Bristol, May 2024

It has been a while since I last saw Ments painting, so it was great to see him working on this piece for Upfest. The nature of this year’s Upfest has meant that there is far less graffiti writing than in previous years, with more of a focus on high-end murals. Knowing that, it was extra-cool to see this abstract writing from Ments.

There is a beautiful flow through this piece, which has a wonderful natural vibe running through it. The gentle colours are held together in geometric ‘crystalline’ forms and transition markedly from left to right. I am guessing that this Bristol-based artist has been busy over the last couple of years, because I don’t recall seeing any street work for a very long time.

If you like this you can see more of his incredible ‘organic’ writing in this gallery.

6053. M32 roundabout J3 (578)

3GV, M32 roundabout, Bristol, January 2024

I have been aware of 3GV’s work for a little while now, but this is the first piece I have posted on Natural Adventures, which I photographed back in January this year. It has taken me a little while to post because I wasn’t too sure who the artist was, and whether this was a one-off or not. I have since seen several more pieces which I will try to feature in future posts.

3GV has an interesting combination style, which incorporates characters and his letters 3GV. While his work is quite undeveloped and raw, he has something about him, and with plenty of practice, I fully expect to see his work in some of the more prominent spots before long. The Fred Flintstone character is recognisable, and the rest of his artwork comes together to create something quite eye-catching. Practice on his technique and finishing #will lift his work from ‘good effort’ to outstanding – let’s see where this goes.

6049. Peel Street Green (31)

Desi and Mr Two Gram, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2024

Peel Street Green is a really great spot for showcasing your work, and Desi and Mr Two Gram have absolutely smashed it with this colourful and cheerful themed collaborative wall. I particularly like the inclusion of characters, which is something neither of these artists does all that often, but they should, because these are brilliant.

Desi, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2024

Desi has returned to writing DESI, after a spell of writing VEIL, and appears to write with such confidence and flair these days. Her work has really come on in leaps and bounds, and her finishing has improved no end. The character, with pink overtones, in keeping with the writing, looks, stylistically, like a character from the Dexter’s Laboratory cartoon series. A great combo piece.

Mr Two Gram, Peel Street Green, Bristol, May 2024

Mr Two Gram and I had a long conversation a little while ago, under the M32, during which I asked him whether he ever painted characters, and he replied that it was something he was considering… well I am glad that he did, because this combination of writing and cartoon character is superb. Mr Two Gram’s letters are so distinctive and always neatly turned out, and the colour scheme works well here too. As with Desi’s piece, the hair and eyes match the writing, ensuring the character is relevant to the piece. Great work and a wonderful collaborative extravaganza.

6048. Brunel Way (272)

Mr Tanner, Brunel Way, Bristol, May 2024

I have said it many times, and it continues to be my firm belief, that visiting artists add an extra sparkle to the vast spectrum of street/graffiti art that we see in the city, and they are always welcome. Mr Tanner appears to have taken a bit of a shine to the city of Bristol recently and long may it last, as his pieces are original and quirky, and each one utterly different from the last.

This is a fabulous organic piece of graffiti writing from Mr Tanner, which spells out ‘TOPIA’, don’t ask me why, but it is the letters that he writes. The design is original and flows very nicely, with fill transitions that work really well and are reversed in the ‘O’. I reckon that buffing the wall might have helped the piece to stand out a little more from the Pura Decadencia piece underneath it, as the two colour palettes are competing a little. Nonetheless, this is a wonderful piece from Mr Tanner.

6041. M32 roundabout J3 (577)

Hemper, M32 roundabout, Bristol, May 2024

Regular visitors to Natural Adventures might have noticed that I am posting three street art pieces a day more frequently than I used to, as if I were a man in a hurry. The truth is, I am. The sheer intake of new artists in the city, and the large number of established ones, means that there has never been such a high turnover of art in Bristol before, and I have never had more wonderful pieces to share. An added complication is that we are in the midst of the Upfest 2024 paint festival, and there is a huge influx of international artists whose pieces I’d like to share. This is a great first-world problem for me to have, but also means I have to post more often, and leave more pieces languishing in my archives.

This outstanding piece is from one of the best graffiti writers around, Hemper, and quite frankly is pretty much perfect in every way. Spelling out HEMS, the multicoloured fills are utterly sensational, blending and bleeding through the piece with consummate ease. Hemper is a master of his craft, and I can only stand back and admire the rich depth of this masterpiece.

	Sheree on 7622. North Street
	paulh121 on Oblivious
	paulh121 on 7620. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	hitandrun1964 on What is she?
	hitandrun1964 on 7620. M32 roundabout J3 (…

	Sheree on 7622. North Street
	paulh121 on Oblivious
	paulh121 on 7620. M32 roundabout J3 (…
	hitandrun1964 on What is she?
	hitandrun1964 on 7620. M32 roundabout J3 (…

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